Auto Train to Florida - What's It Like? 

I just happened upon your video! I worked onboard Amtrak’s Auto Train from 1984-1986. I loved working onboard as a train attendant. I was in my late 20’s at the time. I met some very nice passengers. I have great memories!

My family did this in June 1974, my dad saved for 2 years to take our family of 6 to Disney, I was 9, I don’t remember a whole lot, except going to sleep and then waking up in FL.

We took this train from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL back in 2014. Never, ever again. It cost us more than flying and renting a car, the seats were old, worn out, and terribly uncomfortable for an 18+ hour trip, and trying to essentially sleep in a broken recliner with snoring people, people talking on cell phones, and crying babies was impossible. We finally gave up and walked through to a car where a few insomniacs were watching a TV or playing cards. My daughter got sick from the floating feeling up on the second level. It was, overall, a grueling ride. The following year we all piled into the car and drove the whole way down, slept overnight in a motel. Much better experience.

Tips, bring your own snacks from your local store, there cheaper, bring your own pillow , theirs arent that great, arrive earlier or pay extra for early off loading, Tip your stewart, just like you said.

My wife and I traveled twice on the Auto Train to Florida, both times with a sleeper. Dinner and breakfast were superb and the service outstanding. The "highlight" was passing through a few small towns along the way, experiencing "Small Town, USA, waving to the citizens watching us roll by. The Auto Train is the civilized way to travel!

We had Big Chris as our room attendant a year ago and hope to get him again. We've done the auto train several times, and he is one of the best attendants they have.

Big Chris is the best and so much fun!!! He was our steward last month when we took the auto train.

I've been taking the AutoTrain twice a year for quite a few years now and it gets more expensive each time I travel, with the trip I just booked costing nearly double the price of my first AutoTrain trip. Other than that, I do love taking the train. As someone else mentioned, the food is quite good, though it seems the menu hasn't changed over the years. Regarding some points mentioned in the video, while you can get to the station at 11:30 a.m., you'll be waiting in line until they're ready to start loading cars. Wi-Fi on the train is sketchy, so don't expect it to be available the entire trip. Buy drinks and snacks at a convenience store BEFORE you get to the station. Priority off-loading is pricey but worth the extra expense, unless you don't mind waiting over an hour for your vehicle. I reserved a bedroom last trip, which has a private bathroom with a shower, but I sleep better in a roomette which has no in-room facilities. Bathroom facilities are just down the hall, though, with showers on the lower level and both are always clean, but the shower head in the bedroom I traveled in had a lot of mold growing on it. Ugh!! The train leaves at 5:00 p.m. so you'll probably spend most of the trip sleeping. I'm a very early riser, so after I grab a shower the dining car is open for breakfast. After that, there are a few hours to kill before the trip is over. If you've got the time, the AutoTrain beats the heck out of flying, and if you have to rent a car at your destination, there probably won't be much of a cost difference.

What you provided a perfect trip. They are on a losing streak at the moment. They do not own the tracks. The Auto Train is at the will of CSX railroad. The last month they were running with less help, less choices of food, hours late and numerous stops to let CSX freight trains to pass by. They had a fire on a bridge in South Carolina on 8/28/22, had to,wait that out, had to put a new crew on board because the stopped crew ran out of time allowed. It arrived in Lorton about 4:30pm on 8/29/22, almost 24 hours later. They have cancelled both trains for Tuesday 8/30/22. I love the Auto Train, having used it on numerous occasions. The quality and hospitality has gone down quite noticeably lately. You have to tell people the good with the bad! It is not always the perfect trip!

Excellent video. Taking my first auto train in December. Lots of very helpful tips. Thank you!

We had our first experience with Auto Train going from VA to FL. We had a sleeper car (smaller roomette). Someone needs to be healthy enough to climb up to the top bunk. Other than that I think most people will find the space comfortable for two individuals. One surprise was the dinner meal was excellent. Being able to bring your own car is great since there is no need to rent a vehicle at your destination. That can save you hundreds of dollars if you're staying at your destination for more than a couple of weeks. You pack your vehicle with no need to struggle with luggage bringing it to baggage checking or baggage claim at an airport. Getting off the train the following morning fresh having avoided the long drive on I-95 was wonderful. For us the Auto Train was a comfortable and economical way to make the trip from our home in NY to FL.

Just heard of this! What an absolutely fantastic idea!!

My wife and I have taken the southbound train three times, and returned northbound by car. Where we live it's cold and snowy until March, then the snow melts and it's brown and ugly, and it's still cold. That's the time to head south. Also, we noted that southbound fare pricing was more favorable than northbound fares in that time frame (March is when the snow birds start to go home). Our sleeper cars were less than 2/3 occupied on the southbound leg, and we understand they're 100% booked up on the northbound leg.

I totally agree with some of these trip reports. My family of four started taking February round trips on the auto train in 2013. Round trip with a car and priority off loading both ways totaled $1,580. As some have recently said that will get you oneway now, LOL. Also priority off loading was only $25 when we started in 2013 to 2016 ish. And they have not even improved the sleeping cars in anyway since before 2013. Just way more worn-out and now you pay 2.5 times more for less quality. But I will say for a family Disney trip with smaller children it made the transportation a fun part of the vacation.

Great video, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the very informative video and just when I thought it was only for cars, I saw a flash with motorcycles being loaded which was exactly what I needed to know. 😊. Thanks again.

We've got another trip scheduled in October from FL to PA. We're taking the Autotrain north and going to drive back to spend a few days in the Smoky Mountains. If we flew we wouldn't have that option.

Please expand the auto train to the west coast. Seattle - San Diego would be great.

thank you, this was so helpful!

It's so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super helpful! Thank You :)

Taking this trip for the first time tomorrow! Thanks for this informative video!

It would be nice if the auto train would go to the Midwest so we could use it too. That would be nice for us folks!

It's a travesty that they don't offer a cross country auto train. Florida to California or DC to California would be extremely welcome.

Did the Auto Train many years ago, and my fiance' and I have decided to do it this year for our yearly summer trip to Florida. Can't wait!

Note to travelers: Pay the $90 for the expedited off load, it could literally save you HOURS waiting for your vehicle to be offloaded, I learned the hard way!

I’ve never heard of this train, very interesting!

This is a great idea

This is a great way to go from northern Va. to Sanford. I've taken it many times! Mostly I travelled in a roomette, which was very comfortable, whether I was alone or with someone. Dinner is delicious and they offer several entrees to choose from. Later if you want a snack, you can go up to what I call the food car. Btw, their hamburgers from there are delicious, too! So I have a few tips. If you sleep in the upper bunk do not sit up without thinking, or you will bonk your head on the ceiling. There isn't much clearance, a couple of feet maybe. I've also taken the full room, which has a toilet and shower. I know it's a train, but it was pretty cool sitting on the toilet while taking your shower, lol. Even though coffee and water are always available, I always took a few extra bottles of water, because it seems that things really quiet down around 11pm and coffee and water can get low. They do always show a movie if you want to watch. I rode this train a few years ago because now I have no need to go back to northern Va. They stopped in Florence around 1am to switch drivers. We could all get out and stretch our legs, and it was a good break especially for the smokers. I think this was for about 20 minutes or so. No new passengers were taken aboard and no one actually departed the train. I'm not an early morning person anymore, so it was kind of rough when they made the breakfast call, but I believe they served for an hour or two. This is a really fun and relaxing trip. I usually tipped the steward around $50 or so. I did not tip after dinner. I've also taken Amtrak from Alexandria, Va. to Winter Park, Fl. , which is not the Auto Train. Travelling coach wasn't bad because you do have lots of leg and snooze room, but a roomette is better if you don't like sitting around a lot of people. If you travel coach it is advisable to take along ear plugs. Don't forget, if you travel on Amtrak a lot, be sure to rack up points with their rewards system!

I've traveled on the Amtrak AutoTrain, it is a great experience.

THANK YOU so much!! I LOVE THIS!! I’m thinking of booking the auto train

Cool. I was born and raised in Sarasota (off McIntosh between Fruitville and Bahia Vista). I live in Orlando these days. We took the Auto-Train a few times in the 70's when it was a private company. Couldn't afford the sleepers, so we had a sleepless night on the train in coach (I need to be horizontal to sleep, even as a kid). We once took a 4th of July route from Louisville, KY to Sandford, FL (that route only existed for a year or two). Train was almost totally empty and we were the only two kids on it.

I used the auto train to go north in may 2018 . My car was packed full and I had a bike strapped to a rear trunk rack. No problem . I did not get a sleeper . It was good except the timing to drive north in the morning . It was Sunday and had to drive thru to the cape . For me it would have been better if the train arrived at night . Then the drive thru NYC would be much less traffic . And the ride from Florida , North in the end of may is easy during the day .

It is $1875 with a one bedroom, standard vehicle, priority offloading. Round trip. And it is a 17 hour ride. Oh yeah, this is the way to go. And I can drive from PA to Orlando in 15 hours. With a tank and a half of gas.

Cool video👍 I was going crazy looking for a good vehicle transport company. Looks like auto train is a go.. thanks for the info.

I visited the Amtrak website provided by your link. Early 2000's experience, which reflects badly on the potential experience one might have with the trip. For now, no thanks - I'd drive.

East Coast Travel Is The BEST, From North To South. I Thinking About Travel From Northern Indiana To North Carolina SOON !!!

The worst part of route 95 is between NYC and Lorton VA.. It's a pity that the northern most stop couldn't be somewhere like rural Columbia County New York. That would put you a 2 hour drive north of NYC, 4 hours west of Boston and 45 minutes from Albany NY. A dedicated rail link to Lorton from the Hudson NY vicinity should make a link up to Lorton VA by 3 PM possible.

I would have liked to see more of the sleeping accommodations & more of the inside in general

Great tips! We r going in April in a bedroom & roomette on return, how much of a $ tip is good for the steward, and is it same person for full ride? Thanks!

I wish they would take a C-class motor home on the train, that would be worth it!💕🇨🇦

So awesome. Never heard of this before. Don't know if there is such service out my way. Pretty cool.

Next time do not be cheap get the bedroom it make the trip great. My wife and my self have taken 23 round trip and 10 one way up to Lorton and drive car back to Sarasota I love the Auto-Train

I've been wishing for an Auto Train on the Coast Starlight for years.

Never done it. I will try in. Next couple months. I drive there about six times a month from PA

Amtrak - consider expansion of this service. A point somewhere near New Haven CT to Florida might be a very big hit with so many annual travelers to Florida from the New England area.

I enjoyed watching your video and I was looking forward to hearing about the prices which you did not say. I learned about it from the comments below. It sounds exciting, but I think this Amtrak train is now meant only for those who can really afford it. It has become a luxury now to travel by train in the United States. I will skip it and just drive, or if the distance is too large I will take the plane, much cheaper.

I love this because because I love my car but where I go my dog goes so I want be riding to Florida on this train

Best info video about this train thank you!

Our experience was not pleasant. Roundtrip roomette up, coach back. First off only AMTRAK could take a potentially very scenic ride through Florida, low country coastal Georgia and piedmont regions of Virginia and North Carolina and schedule it so almost the entire trip both ways is in the dark! Boarding the train in Sanford was pleasant, roomette comfortable, first lonesome whistle of the engines heard as we crossed level crossings. They soon became water torture as I would guess whistles were blown between 500 and a thousand times during the night. 3 hours after departure we pass Jacksonville, FL heading Northbound ( Sanford to Jacksonville is about 1.5 hours by car ) Dinner was served, think airline type meal about 5-6 pm depending on reservation. Very frequently train stops to let CSX freight trains have the right away as they have priority. Speaking of freight trains apparently the track quality in the US is much lower than Europe as often the train would lurch from side to side or up and down without warning due to track conditions. The train arrives in Lorton around 7-9 AM the next day. Imagine you have had a somewhat sleepless night at this point and after you claim your car you are thrust into Washington D.C. rush hour on I-95. If you are heading to New England prepare yourself for the worst part of I-95 until you get to Boston! We chose Coach class on the return figuring as we only live 40 miles from Sanford, that even if we were tired on the return, we could make the 40 mile from the station to home easily. What we didn’t figure when we planned the trip was coming from Connecticut, we would have to leave about 4 AM to get through NY, NJ, MD and DC area (during morning commutes on 95) to arrive on time for boarding on the Southbound trip. Choosing not to, it necessitated a motel stay in the Lorton area the night before ($$) Departing Lorton the crew lectures us all on the importance of NOT clogging the toilets with paper towels, etc as the system is pneumatic and our community toilet in Coach can be blocked easily with foreign objects. Our fellow passengers decided to ignore that advice and about 45 minutes into the trip the toilets were indeed blocked and remained that way for the remaining 16 hours. The odor was wafted through the coach as well and wet footprints from overflowed urine and backed up toilets added to the ambiance. The coach seats recline about 10 degrees, just enough to almost be comfortable and the lights in the car are turned off about 9 PM. If you want to chat with your seat mates in a normal tone or try to read using the seat light, surrounding riders soon inform you that they are trying to sleep and turn off the light or BE QUIET. Once again the whistles blow throughout the night, the train lurches and bounces and frequently stops as you wend your way to Sanford. Daybreak finds you almost to Savannah and you start believing you are almost there, but the trip takes about another 4-5 hours from there. Mercifully, about 9 ish you arrive, get your car and head home. Would I ever do it again? NO! Lastly, recall that the portion of I-95 from Lorton to I-4 interchange to Sanford is about the most stress free driving section of the entire route. The auto train while an interesting concept is poorly executed and a living example of taking a non existent problem and developing a government solution to it. One can only imagine the living hell the passengers went through on the recent 37 hour Lorton to Sanford leg in January 2023.

It’s the same train from 30 years ago. Not enough leg room in couch. And it doesn’t always run on time. Pay extra for early off car so you can get out of dodge.

I have been wanting to take this train ride to FL and back for awhile. NJ to DC about a 3 hour drive...then the smooth hum of rails to FL...sign me up

We live in Maine and just finished driving 3800 miles round trip to Florida. Unfortuantely Lorton VA for us is 9 hrs if traffic is light. And the northeast is the worst part of the drive. Once through DC then 95 was a breeze. Amtrak is loosing $$$ by not extending this auto service to Boston. Of course if it was a Private business it would have been available years ago.

Coming from New Hampshire the train would be a great option, but to get to the train I would drive through the worst of the trip to get to it. Not worth the money or the hardship of going to Virginia when the rest of the drive is less stressful. JMO Trip day one drive to Fayetteville day two Drive to Sarasota. Long drive but not much stress. Going home day one drive to Fredericksburg day two drive home. This leg of the trip is full of stress.

Just got back yesterday from Florida using the Auto Train. Not a big flyer so this was a perfect option after taking 3 days to drive to Disney from Upstate NY. One thing to mention if you chose the coach class you will sleep in your seat so bring a pillow. We will be using this again but getting a sleeper next time which is actually cheaper than flying.

Is the club room and dinner/breakfast services available to coach seats as well?

Love the Auto train have taken it several times. I live in Fl. but visit where I grew up in upstate NY. Don't like the fact that I have a 6-hour drive after arriving in Lorton and the price is getting a little steep.

Wish there was one of these from Raleigh or Charlotte to Tampa.

for coash, when do you get seat assignmets can you get them when you book

looks really neat, but for me in central Texas it is easier to drive. But thanks and have fun

Did you have to deactivate your car alarm for this trip and if so, how?

It’s awesome! I have done it 6 times😎

Any tips on saving money? Pricing a trip for 2 on the auto train in late August for a roomers and it’s $1500. While it alleviates the stress of I95, seems awfully expensive. Wouldn’t nearly cost that much to drive

do they accept a hitch carrier on the rear of the vehicle?

Thanks for sharing this info. Will try in my next trip.

I took that train from VA to FL, and we got a suite it cost me well over $1000.00 the bathroom was built for a four-year-old the food was good. Cheaper to fly and ship the car and that was 6 years ago.

We are flying out of Sarasota airport tomorrow since we are only going up north for a couple of days. If we were going to stay for a week or so, we would be taking the auto train for sure.

I've not use this service yet - But I will soon

Traveling next month and rented a roomette - what the appropriate tip for the person who turns down the bed and manages the roomettes?

We are taking it for the first time in January and have a roomette. One of the comments was that you can make a reservation for dinner at a specific time. Is this true and if so can it be done before boarding or once you get on the train? Very informative video, especially since it will be our first time. Thanks

My grandparents took the auto train years ago. They hated it.

packing many suitcases right this instant

We took the train last week. When we went into our cabin there was a dead body on the floor. This poor man had been there for 2 weeks. The staff came by and threw him out the window and we just continued on our trip.

great video, had to comment to ask why your car was in Poland

Wish I could just travel

Is the breakfast place, 'Glory Days', within walking distance or is it a drive?

Cheaper and faster to fly and rent a car 99% of the time. Seems like its really only targeting the snow birds, but for most people you can fly from NY to Orlando and a week rental for half the cost and you dont lose 2 days of sitting on a train.

This was obviously posted before people were stranded on the train for 30+ hours without any provisions. As well there are constant train delays. The service has gone completely down hill.

You left out the most important thing we want to know ! Prices !

Just out of curiosity what would a regular sleeper train cost down to Florida? I can always rent a car.

How much does it cost

How about the people in coach? How much are the meals? Just booked the auto train but I didn't want to pay an extra $500 for the small sleeper for just one night.

Jesus $5,000.00 for two people? I would have to drive 3 hours from Norfolk to Lorton as well! Taking a plane and a rental car is way cheaper and much more convenient!

My parents took this northward. They’d never do it again! No AC! Can you imagine? In addition, took hours to get their car

what is the price tag

Packed with seniors on disability, the stock images of the food and smiling train staff are all from 1972. It's a hot fart box with 0 ventilation, have fun with that! and the cost in a bedroom is about 1,000 per person.

Where is the nearest train station to Alabama?

I'm a little confused is the playground on the train? and what shop Are you talking about.. on the train or at the station?

Great review of service

Can you go from Kentucky?

I had no idea that there is an auto train option with Amtrak but it must cost a fortune. A normal ticket already costs a fortune.

How full are the trains now? Are they booking to full capacity? I will be traveling in coach in a couple weeks and am curious if I’ll be seated directly next to someone else. Thanks!

Do you know one that allows small dogs?

I looked into this one time and it's expensive and time consuming. However looks relaxing. Are there limits to how packed your car can be like moving?

Hi Dave. Thanks for this video. My husband and I will be using the Auto Train for the first time this year (we are snowbirds and want to cut down on at least half of the driving!). Can you tell us if you have ever had to DEACTIVATE THE CAR ALARM SYSTEM in your vehicle as stated in the websites "Tips for You and Your Vehicle"?

My family and I took this train every summer to FL for a decade. It went from the greatest experience, good accommodations, food and wine for dinner and breakfast was good too, movies in the movie car. The kids loved it. Was very affordable too. However, the last couple of trips were definitely the last. Accommodations are so pitsy ( horrible, dirty and smelly), no breakfast, dinner I would not feed a starving animal. Delay after delay late in the night. For my family…. We make the long drive enjoyable now. No more train. Which is a shame bc we need more alternatives for transportation here in the US like Europe offers.

Great information.

Why doesn't the auto train go to NewYork? Or even farther North? It should go from North to South in the East, Central and West United States as well as East to West.

I was thinking about taking the auto train but the $565 price was too high. I guess I'll just drive.

Is there an Auto-Train from Upper States (i.e., NY) to Florida?